Shirui Lily starts drawing visitors
Source: Chronicle News Service / R Lester Makang
Ukhrul, April 24 2023:
With the arrival of spring and the annual blooming season of the rare Shirui Lily, the Kashong peak, the lily's abode, has once again come alive with fresh bloom of Kashong Timrawon in shades of white and pink.
Most of the lily plants are still in the budding stage, with just a few of the early blooms starting to appear and a flurry of visitors from far and near has started to pour in to take a glimpse of the fresh blooming lilies, according to locals of Shirui village.
Communicating with The People's Chronicle on Monday, S Yaomeikan, a local villager, informed that some of the lilies are already blooming at the moment, but the peak bloom is expected by the third week of May.
Even then, visitors from different places are already streaming in to enjoy the sight of the early blooms of the flower, he said.
He observed that while the blooming season of the lily remains unaffected, the height of the lily plants appeared to have dipped compared to the earlier years.
Normally, the lily blooms from the third week of May and its peak season continues till the first week of June.
Meanwhile, with less than a month to go for the much-awaited Shirui Lily festival, preparations for necessary arrangements including the main stage are underway in full swing at Shirui village.
The state-level festival which is celebrated annually to raise awareness about preservation of the exquisite lily and its habitat is scheduled to be held from May 17 to 20 this year.
It is timed to coincide with the peak bloom season of the lily.
Apart from honouring the rare Shirui Lily, the festival also celebrates the unique, diverse culture of Manipur and brings together different communities of the state.
The festival showcases an array of spectacular traditional folk dances, practice displays, art forms, and other presentations and musical performances including ShiRock which attract visitors and tourists from across the world.